Matters of the Heart
by Winter-Nights16
Summary: In which characters try to end the problems that fill their minds. Each person has a flaw, or a characteristic that they hate. Can they end the chaos within together? Cover Image doesn't belong to me.
1. Nobody

When Roxas first met Ven, he felt intense anger. It was bad enough that some of his memories weren't his, but now his own face didn't belong to him! Adding this on to the fact that he never should have existed really ruined his life.

And then there was the possibility that Roxas's heart wasn't his own either. He already figured out that even Nobodies had hearts, you can't cry without one. But then he came to the realization that if Sora had been keeping two hearts within him, then Ventus's must have gone into the Nobody when he freed Kairi's heart. This would explain why he had taken on the blonde boy's appearance.

Both Roxas and Ven had been surprised when they met each other in Sora's heart. It was like looking into a mirror, even their clothes were similar! The latter quickly brushed off his shock and cheerfully greeted his look-a-like, but the former wasn't as welcoming and ran off, pushing the older boy aside. For quite a while, Roxas avoided him as best as he could, ignoring his companion's calls.

However, Roxas was a part of Sora and as a result he wasn't one to hold a grudge for too long. He eventually wandered the replica of Destiny Islands openly and allowed Ventus to find him. Ven's personality was very similar to Sora's which didn't surprise the Nobody. Although he acted coldly to the Somebody at first, he couldn't find it in himself to hate the boy. Ventus didn't show any animosity, so Roxas decided he would try to do the same.

The two exchanged stories and found that they both had lived something akin to tragedy. The bond between them grew to the point where Ven would sometimes refer to Roxas as his brother. There were many happy memories made by the paopu tree as the two enjoyed each other's company.

However, despite all the warmth and happiness he received from Sora and Ventus, Roxas would still question his place in the world. Whenever he was alone, which was more often than expected, he doubted his existence. He had been told many times that he wasn't supposed to exist. Most of the time, he would strongly argue against the statement. But he still felt a sense of insecurity. A sense of misplacement. Roxas reluctantly concluded that he was indeed an outcast, a true nobody. Nothing he had was his own. Even though he would openly deny it, he was slowly falling into depression.

"Hey Roxas!" a familiar voice called out. The Nobody turned to see his "twin" running up to him. The latter took a seat on the paopu tree beside the former. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," he replied. "There's not a lot that happens around here."

"I guess you're right," Ventus chuckled. There was a comfortable silence as the two stared across the ocean at the setting sun.

"I bet you don't know why the sun sets red," Roxas suddenly said.

"Enlighten me," the other boy stated cheerfully.

"Light is made up of many colors. Out of all those colors, red travels the farthest. My friend Axel told me that on my 255th day as an Organization member. We were watching a sunset just like this one."

"Wow, you remember all of that? You must be great at memorizing things!"

"Nah, Axel just always told me to 'get it memorized' and I tried to remember everything I could. I guess he affected me more than I thought."

"It must be great."

"What is?" Roxas questioned.

"Knowing who your friends are," Ven answered with a small smile. "It sounds like you had a pretty solid friendship."

"Really? You know, we argued a lot during my last days."

"That's surprising. What did you fight about?"

"It's funny. I don't remember…" Roxas trailed off, trying to come up with the reason why he and Axel had quarreled.

"Wow, Roxas. There's _actually_ something you didn't memorize!" Ventus exclaimed.

"Well, I know part of the reason. I was upset because the Organization had only been using me like a puppet to reach their goal. But I feel like there was another reason. Like I wasn't the only one being used."

"I'm sure you'll remember it someday."

"I hope so," the Nobody murmured softly.

The younger blonde began to think back to when he was part of the Organization. It had only been for about a year, but those were the only memories that he truly had. As sad as they were, it was his life. He didn't want to forget any of it. Forget the bad and you forget the good as well.

But what was this feeling he had? It was as if something, or _someone_ , was missing. A girl with short, raven hair who suffered the same pain he had, maybe even more. A person who wasn't supposed to exist, an empty puppet, without an identity. Someone who was once in the same situation as him. Someone who was forgotten.

 _I wonder if I would be forgotten if I were completely erased from existence,_ Roxas wondered. _I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. I mean, nothing about me is original. It was all a part of someone else, whether it be Sora or Ventus. They're somebody, they can't be forgotten, and they're part of a bigger picture. I'm just me, a simple Nobody._

"Hey, Roxas. Are you okay? You look a bit down," Ventus said with concern, breaking his companion from his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing you should worry about," the other blonde muttered quietly.

"Are you sure? We have plenty of time to work out personal problems here."

"It's just… What do you think of me?"

"What?"

"Do you think I'm inferior?" the Nobody asked hesitantly.

"Of course not! Why on earth would you think that?" the keyblade wielder exclaimed with slight distress.

"Well, I'm not my own person. I'm not even a clone. I'm an outcast. I'm…"

"You're… what?"

"A true nobody." Roxas stated with disgust. "Nothing I have is mine. _Nothing!_ My heart, my friends, my memories, _my face!_ It's always belonged to someone else! I don't belong _anywhere._ "

A heavy, suffocating silence overtook the atmosphere for several long moments. Roxas was near tears as he glared down at his hands with distaste and anger. Ventus stared at the boy in utter shock. Had he really been dealing with this alone without anyone to turn to? His face twisted into an angered look of frustration.

"How could you say that?!" he yelled. Roxas looked at him in surprise, his eyes widening. "Of course you're somebody! Who said you weren't an actual person? I'll personally beat them up for you! You have your own heart and friends that care for you. You've made your own memories and proved that you can exist despite everyone's objections. What does it matter if you have my face? You're your own person with your own mind and your own conscience! I don't care who you used to be! In my eyes, _you are somebody_." Everything he said was filled with confidence and truth.

Both boys stared at each other, one of them with a look determination the other with an expression of awe, a tear slowly slipping down his cheek. With a sigh and a comforting smile, the older of the two wiped the tear away.

"But… why? Why would you care that much?" the younger questioned in a quiet, shaking voice. The older laughed softly.

"Like I said, you're someone to me. You're my brother."

Smiles graced both their faces as they turned to the setting sun and returned to enjoying life as it is. Negative thoughts disappeared from their minds as they allowed themselves to relax in the paradise that was Sora's heart.

"You know what would make this better?" Roxas asked.

"What?"

"Some sea-salt ice cream." As if hearing his words, the icy treat appeared in their hands. "Thanks, Sora."

 _No matter who you were before, you have a meaning, a purpose. You'll always be someone in our eyes._


	2. Weak

Ventus felt weak. Not literally, he just thought that he himself was a weak person. Sure, he would always contradict Vanitas without hesitation if his darker half called him weak. But as he thought about his past while healing in Sora's heart, he decided that he was indeed a weakling.

He couldn't save himself from Xehanort's plan, he couldn't save his heart from breaking, he couldn't save his friends from whatever situation they were in now, and he couldn't save Sora when he was in trouble. It was his fault. He wasn't strong enough to protect those he cared for. He was forced to wait helplessly and hope for the best.

That's not to say he didn't enjoy living in Sora's heart all this time. At first, it was a little lonely, wandering around the replica island without anything to do. It wasn't like anyone else was there. However, after several long boring years, he started to see other people appearing and walking around. Within a close period of time, he saw a tall man with red bandages wrapped around his face and a girl with short raven hair and a black coat enter Sora's heart. (He had already met the girl and talked to her once in awhile.) Not too long afterwards, Ventus met a boy who was identical to him, the main difference being their clothes.

The first time he bumped into Roxas, he had thought that Sora's heart had created a clone of him for some odd reason. But it didn't make any sense, so he tried to befriend his look-a-like in order to figure it all out. It took awhile, but Ven managed to get Roxas to open up to him and they grew close. As it turns out, the latter was actually Sora's Nobody but had taken the appearance of the former since he was made up of both boys. In the end, neither of them felt as lonely as they had before.

However, they weren't freed from problems just because they were resting within Sora. This was proven when Roxas had a breakdown a couple weeks earlier. He had felt out of place, non-existent, and insignificant. Ventus was more than willing to comfort the boy whom he had started to call his brother. He pushed away any doubt that the Nobody had and spent the rest of the day enjoying his company.

But now it was Ventus who was thinking lowly of himself. He was weak. If he had stopped Xehanort in the beginning, then nobody else would have to suffer. If he had been stronger, then he could have protected his friends and prevented the sadness that people like Roxas felt.

But he was _too weak._

The keyblade wielder sat alone on the paopu tree, staring blankly at the scene in front of him. There was so much light in Sora's heart. So much hope, love, compassion, and positivity in general. Ventus wanted to protect that light and keep it untainted from any darkness. But how could he do that when his body was in a comatose state? Despite what Ventus desired, the boy who protected his heart had been hurt, had faced darkness, and at one point he had almost become a vessel of Xehanort.

"What a joke," the boy muttered dejectedly. "What kind of friend am I?"

"Is something wrong?" someone asked. Ventus turned to see Sora's Nobody.

"Um… no?" he replied hesitantly. Roxas smiled and leaned against the tree.

"You look conflicted," the younger of the two said in a gentle tone. "Is there anything you need to get off your chest?"

"It's better if you don't worry about it."

"You sure? You helped me once and I wouldn't mind returning the favor."

"Well, it's really a silly thing to be upset about when I think about it…"

"Oh? Then it shouldn't take too long to fix."

Ven let out a heavy sigh, lowering his head. "I guess… I just feel like I'm weak."

Roxas studied his friend for a few moments. "Continue."

"I feel guilty. Maybe if I had been able to stop Xehanort at the very beginning, then you and the others wouldn't have to go to the trouble of stopping him in my place. Then you never would have gotten hurt! I wasn't strong enough to save and protect those I care about…"

"Wait, so you're upset because you think you're _weak_?!" the Nobody asked incredulously. After a moment of letting everything set in, he started to chuckle softly. Then it got louder and louder until he was laughing heartily while holding his stomach.

"What's so funny?" Ven demanded, slightly offended.

"How on earth did you come to the conclusion that you were weak? That's ridiculous! You're one of the strongest people I know!"

"Why would you say that?"

"Well first off, you prevented Xehanort from getting the χ-blade and Kingdom Hearts. Sure, there were a few setbacks and negative consequences, but you stopped him long enough so that the worlds wouldn't be thrown into darkness until new heroes could step up. Secondly, after your fight with Vanitas, you were strong enough to survive your heart breaking and made it to Sora so that you could heal until you're ready to fight again. Finally, you're strong enough to heal pain! You helped me when I needed someone and I have a feeling you'll help many, many more. Just because there's been a few bumps in the road doesn't mean everything was ruined. You're _not_ weak. You're filled with light and that makes you one of the strongest people I've ever met!"

"You really think that highly of me?"

"Of course I do! You're like my big brother and one of my personal heroes!"

"'One of?' You have more?"

"Maybe…?" Roxas grinned when he heard Ventus start laughing. "Does that mean I successfully made you feel better?"

"Sure does," the Somebody replied cheerfully.

"Awesome!" the younger blonde exclaimed.

 _"_ _My friends are my power… and I'm theirs! But now, they're also my strength."_


	3. Forgotten

She knew that she had been forgotten. Even if all memories of her hadn't completely disappeared, barely anyone remembered her. Xion desperately wanted to talk and laugh with Roxas like they had before, but she already knew that he wouldn't know who she was. This made her want to scream and cry out in anger, but she always tried to push away her anguish so that Sora wouldn't be forced to carry the burden alongside with her.

Of course, there was always the opportunity to start a new life. Even if the blonde Nobody had forgotten her, that didn't mean she couldn't befriend him again. But she was too afraid. She was scared of what the boy would think and scared of how she would affect him. She had hurt him before, what if she did it again?

Despite this fear, Xion tried to keep Roxas safe. She had made sure he wouldn't do anything rash by calling out to Riku and getting him to stop Sora's Nobody from attacking Xemnas head-on. Before Roxas's memories of her faded into nothingness, she left him one last message to comfort him.

After that, she waited for her friend inside Sora's heart. While she was there, however, she saw another boy. His appearance was the same as Roxas's, but something told Xion that this boy was completely different. He had seen her too, that much she knew for sure. He seemed to debate whether or not he should go and talk to her but the girl made the choice for him when she ran away. She wasn't ready to connect to other people again after the tragedy that was her life.

But that boy was stubborn and persistent. Xion guessed he must have been lonely or something because he tracked her down at one point. Or it could have been pure coincidence since the replica of Destiny Islands wasn't too big and it was easy to bump into someone else. Either way, the boy eagerly talked to her, even if she didn't respond.

The boy's name was Ventus as she soon learned the moment the boy started talking. Apparently, he had been resting in Sora's heart for almost eleven years since his own heart had shattered after him and his friends prevented a man named Xehanort from obtaining the χ-blade. Ven was similar to Roxas, but Xion thought that his personality was more akin to Sora's. The Roxas-look-a-like was very likable and easy to get along with, but the girl let him do most of the talking. She would smile and nod or shake her head to let him know she was listening, but he didn't seem to mind being the one who was talking.

Eventually, Roxas did merge with Sora and appeared in his heart. When he did, Xion couldn't bring herself to let him see her. She hid on the other side of the island once she discovered that he preferred to stay near the paopu tree. Ven was really excited when the newcomer appeared even though he was surprised when he found out the Nobody looked a lot like him. The two blondes became friends quickly once Roxas allowed Ventus to actually walk up to him.

However, the Somebody made sure Xion wouldn't be alone for long periods of time. He would stop by once in awhile and they would talk about whatever came to mind. It didn't take long for him to start talking about Roxas. And even though the girl knew it was inevitable, she refused to let him take her to meet the younger blonde. Ventus would beg and bribe and compromise but she continued to turn him down on the offer.

"But Xion!" he whined, dragging out her name.

"No," she stated firmly.

"Roxas is nice. You'll like him!"

"I don't doubt that. I just don't feel like meeting him."

"But why not?"

"I'm just not ready to start talking to someone else."

There was silence for several long moments as the two had a staring contest, each one trying to have their way. Then Ventus grinned.

"Do you want to hang out at the paopu tree?"

"No!"

"Why not?!"

"Because I know what you're trying to do."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the blonde said very unconvincingly.

"Yeah, right. You're trying to get me to go to that tree so that I'll be forced to see Roxas face to face!"

"How would you know?"

"I'm trying to avoid the guy, remember? I know where he hangs out most often."

"That's not stalker-ish at all…"

"Oh hush!"

Ventus let out an exasperated sigh after staring at Xion for a few moments. "Look, I know it's hard for you to get comfortable with new people. It took _a week_ before you actually started talking to me. I don't know what happened to you before you entered Sora's heart, but I can tell it affected you significantly, maybe to the point where it hurts to think about it... I'll stop pestering you into meeting Roxas, but if you ever feel lonely or need someone to talk to, you know where to go."

Xion nodded and Ven left her hiding place, probably going to meet with his other friend. As soon as the boy was out of sight, the raven haired girl let out a heavy sigh. She had almost accepted his offer this time. Ventus could be persuading when he wanted to, it also didn't help that Xion longed to be with her old friend again. There wasn't any harm in seeing Roxas, as far as anyone could tell, but something was holding her back. It was hard to explain it. It was something like a fear or anxiety, yet at the same time, eagerness, but with an unwillingness to make the first step.

She wanted to be with her friends more than anything, but didn't know if it was what she should do. She was, after all, a replica and a puppet meant to serve Organization XIII. Xion giggled quietly, imagining what Roxas would say to that.

 _"_ _You're more than a puppet! You became your own person the moment we became best friends! When we look at you, we see Xion, a girl with short raven hair and ocean blue eyes; not a replica of memories without a heart."_

Slowly, but gradually, she stood up from where she sat on the ground and headed towards the paopu tree, a smile gracing her lips. _Maybe it's time. Maybe I'll visit them after all,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

Two identical blonde boys with windswept, spiky hair sat together on the paopu tree, talking about anything that came to mind. It was a pleasant atmosphere, as it almost always was in Sora's heart. Roxas was in the middle of speaking, when Ven suddenly stopped paying attention. The former noticed immediately since the latter would normally listen intently and wouldn't get distracted easily.

The Nobody followed his companion's gaze and saw a short girl with an Organization coat on. The hood was down and the boys could clearly see her blue eyes and short, raven hair. She gave them a shy smile and a small wave. Ventus grinned when he saw her and motioned her over to join them. She hesitantly walked towards them and took a seat next to the older blonde, seeming too uncomfortable to be by Roxas.

"You don't have to be so nervous, Xion. We won't bite!" Ven joked. The girl, Xion, laughed softly.

Roxas couldn't explain it, but he was filled with a confusing emotion and his chest felt tight. He felt sadness, but a wave of relief and joy at the same time to the point where tears were starting to form. He couldn't remember seeing the girl, yet her face was so familiar. True, she looked a lot like Kairi and Naminé, but he was positive that wasn't the reason why he felt a sense of familiarity.

"Roxas?" the mysterious girl asked, concerned. "Are you okay? You look a little stressed."

"Have we met before?" he questioned.

"Huh?"

"I don't know why, but I feel like I used to know you…"

For a reason that neither of the blondes knew, Xion smiled. Her face lit up because of that one statement and it seemed like a dark cloud had disappeared.

"Maybe there is hope. Maybe one day you'll remember," she replied cheerfully. "But until then, let's make new memories right here, right now."

 _Maybe she hadn't been completely forgotten after all._

* * *

 **A/N:** **Thank you so much for the reviews so far! I won't be able to update for a little while since I'll be on vacation, so I hope you like this slightly longer chapter. :P**


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